This wine is a 50-50 blend of Sangiovese and Canaiolo from Castello della Paneretta. Terrine is named after the vineyard where the old Canaiolo vines were grown. I opened a bottle of the ’99 a few years ago, and remember thinking it was on its last breath. I was trying to organize my wines on Friday evening and found another bottle. I assumed this would end up un the sink and opened it without any expectation that I would finish a glass of it.

I opened it and decanted it for about 30 minutes. In the glass, deep purple in color with a dark hue. Cherry, black currant, wet tobacco and forest floor on the nose. Sour, ripe and dusty cherry, dark plum, licorice and raisin on the palate with some earth, mushroom and smoke. Lush and velvety smooth. Very mellow but still with some vibrancy — and to my surprise, it still showed well on the second day.

This really was an enjoyable bottle of wine. Not to mention a great example of wine’s ability to surprise, the uniqueness of each bottle and wine’s constant state of change. 13% alcohol. Imported by North Berkeley Wine Imports.